


Making Room For You

by GayAquarius



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blushing, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Holding Hands, Light Angst, Not Actually Unrequited Love, POV Third Person, Relationship(s), Romance, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 10:27:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6701209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayAquarius/pseuds/GayAquarius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since Garnet rejected Jamie by saying "Three's a crowd", Pearl can't stop thinking about it. She experienced unrequited love towards Rose, and she's terrified the same thing is happening with Garnet. After a while, it gets to be too much and she has no choice but to talk to Garnet about it. However, the idea of coming clean about how she really feels terrifies her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Racing Thoughts

_Three's a crowd._

The words bounced around through Pearl's head as she paced around the house. She didn't want to admit it, but they hurt. It had been days since Garnet uttered these three words, and she found herself fixating on them.

Her thoughts quickly became self-deprecating. How could she be so foolish? Of course she never had a shot with Garnet. She's already satisfied, made of love itself. Pearl remembered all the times she clung onto Garnet's arm in moments of stress and desperation. While she never discouraged Pearl from doing so, she suddenly felt like Garnet secretly thought of her as desperate, as weird.

Pearl then found her thoughts becoming frantic as she mentally sorted through every interaction the two gems had over the centuries, looking for clues of how Garnet felt about her. She was always so poised, so composed. Even if Garnet did think as highly of Pearl as Pearl thought of her, she wouldn't make it obvious.

But it didn't matter. Because three's a crowd.

First she fell for Rose, who loved and cared for her in a platonic way but whose heart ultimately belonged to Greg. Now she's crushing on a being who only existed because of the passionate love between two gems who are very much committed to each other. Pearl let out an exasperated sigh, feeling as if she was doomed to love those who would never be able to love her back for the rest of her nearly eternal life.

_

The warp pad lit up as the gem trio returned from a particularly dangerous mission. Much to his dismay, Steven was told to stay home for this one, for his own sake.

“Pearl, what was your problem today?” Amethyst snapped. “You spent the entire mission zoned out. You could have really screwed us over, dummy!”

Pearl felt her cheeks flush blue at Amethyst's accusation. As much as she desperately wanted to refute what she was saying, brushing off the purple gem as she always did, she couldn't. There was no justification of letting her feelings get in the way of the mission, especially when said feelings were over something so silly, so trivial.

“Amethyst,” Garnet said sternly. “Watch it.” Pearl's face turned an even brighter shade of turquoise as Garnet stood up for her. It didn't feel entirely deserved, leaving Pearl with mixed feelings.

“Whatever. I'm outta here,” Amethyst grumbled, storming off in a huff. Pearl was about to go her separate way as well, but much to her surprise, Garnet grabbed her arm. Pearl felt giddy at the act of role reversal, but tried not to read too much into it.

“Wait,” Garnet said.

Pearl spun back around, facing Garnet, as she asked, “What is it?” Garnet's arm dropped back to her side. As much as Pearl didn't want to admit it to herself, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment over the moment ending.

“Amethyst was right. You were acting strange. Not just doing the mission, but this has been going on for a few days now. You've hardly said a word. Is everything okay?”

“W-why do you ask?” Pearl stammered.

“Because I care about you,” Garnet said calmly.

Pearl didn't have time to think about her reaction. The words slipped from her mouth too quickly to stop.

“But you'll never care about me like I care about you!” Pearl said the words a bit too loud, and she hoped that nobody else heard them. She put her hand over her mouth, as if that would take back what was already said. She imagined every inch of her face was covered by blue, and perhaps other parts of her as well. Pearl wished she could have accepted Garnet's kind words at face level without reacting in such a dramatic way. She couldn't take it back. It was too late for that.

The two gems stood in silence for about a minute. Garnet stared at Pearl, her facial expression impossible to read, like always. Pearl found herself becoming increasingly more flustered. Tears were forming in her eyes, and she felt ridiculous for reacting so strongly to something so unimportant.

She couldn't bear to face Garnet anymore, not after behaving so stupidly. Not to mention, Garnet shouldn't have to deal with her when she was being so irrational. In a state of desperation, Pearl ran towards the door, slipping out and running towards the beach.

_

Pearl stayed at the beach for nearly an hour. The sand she sat on was warm beneath her. She watched children build sandcastles as their parents lounged and sunbathed. She witnessed various people playing in the ocean. Everyone looked like they were having so much fun. She envied their ability to be so carefree, even if it was only for a moment. Pearl wished she could join in, but human customs would always bewilder her.

She then noticed two new people arrive on the beach – a boy and a girl. They were older than Steven, but not by a lot. The boy had his arm wrapped around the girl's waist, and the two looked to be inseparable. They were so close together that if they were gems, they'd be moments away from fusing.

Pearl knew they were young and reckless. From what she had learned about humans, people that age tend to struggle with fleeting relationships. However, she felt a twinge of jealousy, especially when the boy kissed the girl on the forehead. She imagined Garnet kissing her on her forehead, specifically her gem. The blue crept back onto her cheeks. Pearl didn't know what to do with herself and these thoughts.

She found herself continuing to watch the couple. Pearl couldn't help it. While human relationships may have been an area she was no expert on, she wasn't repulsed by their actions. The couple held hands as they entered the ocean. They were laughing among each other. Pearl had become so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't see Garnet come up from behind her.

“Pearl.”

Pearl yelped as she sprang up from the sand. She began to nervously sweat, wondering how long Garnet had been standing there. Most importantly, she wondered whether Garnet noticed her spying on the young human couple practically joined at the hip.

“G-Garnet... what brings you here?” Pearl let out a nervous giggle, feeling the tension in the situation. She desperately wished she hadn't impulsively said what she said earlier. She felt humiliated that she bore her soul like that in the heat of the moment.

“I think you know why I'm here,” Garnet said flatly. She went straight to the point, not wasting a second. Pearl's skinny legs felt weak beneath her. It felt incredibly human in the worst of ways.

“Oh, that little outburst I had earlier? It means nothing, really. I'm so sorry to act out like that, I didn't-” Garnet interrupted her.

“I really don't think it means 'nothing', Pearl.”

“Well, I didn't exactly mean that.” Pearl was unable to make eye contact with her crush as she fumbled around, attempting to justify her juvenile behavior. Even though Garnet's intense eyes were covered up by her shades, she couldn't deal with looking directly at her. “It wasn't caused by nothing. But it's not important. Don't worry about it, okay?”

Garnet placed her hand on Pearl's shoulder, her grip steady, as she said, “No, not okay. It is important, or I wouldn't have come after you to talk about it.”

Pearl bit her lip. She couldn't see it, but Pearl was sure she was blushing so hard that her face had turned a previously undiscovered shade of turquoise. What was she supposed to say? Was she supposed to admit that she had silly feelings that were doomed to be unrequited from the start?

“No... it's... silly. You'd laugh at me for sure,” Pearl murmured.

For the first time for this entire strained interaction, Garnet cracked a smile. She still hadn't removed her hand from Pearl's shoulder. She gently said, “I won't laugh at you, Pearl. Now, perhaps we should go somewhere a bit more private?”

“I'd like that. The last thing I want is one of these humans to overhear me.”


	2. The Talk

Garnet led Pearl back to the house, intending on going to Rose's Fountain. They tried to sneak off without Amethyst or Steven noticing, but unfortunately the latter saw them right before they made it to the warp pad, assuming they were going on a mission and begging to go with them. Garnet calmly explained that it wasn't a mission, and that they needed somewhere private to talk.

While Steven did get a bit huffy, he understood in the end. As they stood on the warp pad, just before they were about to leave, Amethyst seemingly came out of nowhere and noticed as well.

“Have fun on your date!” she teased.

“Amethyst, it's-” Pearl was cut off by the warp pad activating. She realized it was for the better not to get into an argument with Amethyst right before confessing something so personal, so intimate. As much as she hated to admit it, Pearl wished Amethyst's joke wasn't just in jest. She wanted this to be a date.

The duo arrived at Rose's Fountain. It was nostalgic. Pearl scanned the surroundings. Although she was freaking out inside, the scenery made her feel a bit more at peace. Coming here was a good decision on Garnet's part. Speaking of Garnet, she walked ahead of her, beckoning Pearl to follow her. Pearl let out a deep breath, and figured she should go after her. She could barely handle her emotions by herself, let alone admit them to someone else, but she couldn't avoid Garnet forever.

Pearl followed Garnet to the fountain, and sat down with her near the edge of the water. Pearl stuck her finger into the water, noticing the ripple it caused. She temporarily got distracted by the fountain and its beauty. It wasn't until Garnet spoke that she was pulled back to reality.

“Pearl. We came here for a reason, and it wasn't to admire the fountain,” she softly reprimanded.

“Right, right. I just can't get past the fear that you'll laugh, you know?” Pearl cradled her knees, burying her face into her legs. She felt Garnet's gaze on her, and she felt herself growing uncomfortable.

“I won't laugh at you, Pearl. I told you this. Why do you think I'll laugh?”

“Because it's stupid.” Pearl stretched her legs out straight, looking over at her beloved again. Garnet didn't have to do say anything in order for her to know that she was waiting for Pearl to confess; the prompting to speak was unspoken on her part. “Okay, fine, but you asked, okay? I just... I like you. I mean... I like you a lot, and ever since you said that three's a crowd, I've been hurt because I realized I have no chance. I never had a chance.”

“I see.” Out of sheer curiosity, Pearl found herself glancing back in Garnet's direction, searching for a clue of how she reacted to this confession. As usual, however, her response was monotone and her facial expression gave nothing away. She felt herself beginning to panic, worried that she was judging her. Pearl didn't think she'd be able to cope with being forced to be around Garnet during missions if she completely blew whatever friendship the two had by getting ahead of herself.

She kept occasionally peeking over at Garnet, waiting for her to react. Eventually, Garnet began to grin. It didn't take long for her grin to become a slight chuckle. Pearl wanted to yell, to remind Garnet that she said she wouldn't laugh, but the words got caught up in her throat like thick, sticky syrup. Thankfully the chuckle stopped, but the grin was still plastered on Garnet's face.

“Sorry. I didn't mean to laugh, but I promise, I'm not laughing at you.”

The only word Pearl managed to utter was, “Okay”. There were so many questions she had, but they'd remain trapped in her mind, and it was probably better that way.

“Jamie didn't seem to understand the concept of love at all. He seemed nice enough, but he's clearly very naive if he believes in love at first sight.” There was a pause. “It's true that I said three was a crowd. The topic of love is obviously very complicated for the likes of me. While it's not impossible for fusions to fall in love, the fact that they're a fusion makes it that much harder to process, especially if said fusion is made up of two gems in love.”

Garnet's words hung in the air, the tension thick as can be. Pearl waited for Garnet to continue talking, while Garnet sat in place, for once feeling like she was at a loss for words. While she wasn't the most talkative gem, her silence was always a deliberate choice on her part. Very rarely did she keep her mouth shut out of a genuine lack of knowledge of what to say. It took several minutes before she continued.

“I am made up of Ruby and Sapphire. They are a part of me. However, I'm more than just a mix of the two. I am my own gem. I am an experience. I am capable of experiencing emotions on my own, and while it wouldn't be easy to add a third to the mix, it's not impossible. I wouldn't want to do it with just anyone, though, and for the vast majority of who I know, including Jamie, three would be a crowd.”

Garnet never spoke so much while simultaneously feeling like she wasn't saying anything at all. She felt somewhat embarrassed at her ramble towards Pearl, but kept up her stoic act, never letting Pearl think she was anything but calm and collected. She wasn't entirely sure where she was going with her speech, but the last thing she wanted is to clue Pearl in on that.

“I care for you, Pearl, like I care for Steven and Amethyst. But I can't pretend like the feeling isn't a little... different for you.” Garnet hesitated with each word, as if she was carefully selecting each one, not letting a single part of those sentences go unplanned. Pearl found herself giggling like a schoolgirl, unsure of where Garnet was going but hanging on her every word.

“Is that so?” Pearl asked, continuing to let out her high pitched, girlish laugh.

“Yes,” Garnet replied. “I can't compare you to Jamie. How could I? I barely know him, but I've known you for thousands of years.”

A big, goofy grin crept up on Pearl's face. She didn't know what to say, but she tried to capture this moment in her mind, make it last. Pearl stopped looking at the fountain and looked into Garnet's eyes instead. Garnet's shades blocked out her eyes, leaving Pearl clueless as to how she felt, like always. Deep inside, however, Garnet felt emotions that were beyond her ability to identify. After a while, Pearl decided to continue the the conversation.

“I'm... really, really happy to hear all of this, Garnet. Like, I can't put it into words. But where does that leave us?” Pearl's wide smile disappeared from her face. She still gazed into Garnet's eyes, desperate for answers.

Much to Pearl's dismay, Garnet replied with, “I don't know, exactly. This is all very complex, and I don't want to rush into things.” There was a too long pause before Garnet continued. “However, when I use my future vision... there are futures I see with you. Take that as you will, Pearl.” Before Pearl had the chance to process this, Garnet already stood up and was walking away. “I'm heading back now. Feel free to follow me, or not. That's your choice.”

Pearl sprung from her position, catching up with Garnet. She looked at her crush with her wide blue eyes. There was so many things she wanted in that moment, but she'd settle for something small for now. Like Garnet said, it was complicated. It couldn't be rushed. She held out her hand, hoping Garnet would hold it.

She did. Garnet's giant hand practically swallowed Pearl's tiny hand. Then, Garnet let out a soft chuckle. Pearl closed her eyes, taking in the moment. Taking in the feeling of Garnet holding her hand. Pondering what exactly her role was in these futures Garnet saw.

However, she was okay with waiting. With taking things slow. With figuring out the answers to all of her questions later. For now, she was happy to be a part of Garnet's life, and that her role within it was expanding. In that moment, it felt like Pearl could live off of this beautiful feeling.

If three was a crowd, Pearl was ecstatic that she was important enough to make room for.

**Author's Note:**

> I know not everyone will be a fan with how I interpreted Garnet's rejection of Jamie. However, I've noticed a lot of rejection towards guys involve responses such as "I'm not ready for a relationship" or "I'm not interested in ANYONE right now, including you", even if that isn't 100% the truth. Sometimes it can be the safest way to handle a situation, especially if you're worried about how a guy will react.
> 
> In Garnet's case, I doubt she was intentionally lying or worried for her safety, but in her mind, three WOULD be a crowd... if it was with Jamie. It was the truth, but not the entire, complete truth.
> 
> If you don't like it, that's your opinion. All I ask is that you don't give me shit for my interpretation. I have my reasons for seeing it that way.


End file.
